KUCHING: The Sarawak government through the Sarawak Forest Department remains committed to reducing logging activities to approximately 2 million cubic metres annually in line with forest management certification standards.
In stating this, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan emphasised the importance of aligning the state’s forest management with international standards, which in turn would allow timber products to be competitively marketed globally.
“So far, there are 26 Forest Management Units and seven Plantation Management Units that have been certified, covering an area of 2.38 million hectares and encompassing a region of 97,966 hectares.
“This demonstrates the continuous commitment of the Sarawak Forest Department to sustainable forest management,” he said.
Awang Tengah said this during the Sarawak Forest Department’s Excellence Service Awards and Retirement Appreciation Dinner held at a leading hotel here recently.
He also said that the government planned to boost income from forest resources by adopting more sustainable methods.
The Deputy Premier also urged all involved parties to collaborate in realising the sustainable development goals and to back the aim of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by the year 2030 as stipulated in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“A range of green development efforts have been carried out, encompassing hydropower, solar energy, biomass, biofuels, hydrogen, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
“This commitment has received positive feedback from global industry players, opening up new investment, business and employment opportunities in Sarawak,” he added.
